Man, Woman Accused Of Sexually Abusing Riverside Child

RIVERSIDE, CA — The Riverside Police Department Saturday announced it had arrested a man and a woman accused of sexually abusing a minor for several years.

The investigation began Jan. 2, when detectives received a report of "ongoing sexual abuse of a minor that had been occurring for several years," said Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback.

The primary suspect, 55-year-old William Thomas Trader of Riverside, was arrested later that day and remained without bail at the Southwest Detention Center charged with nine felonies including lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 and sodomy on a child under 10, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's inmate information.

Trader is a registered sex offender with a prior conviction of sexual abuse of a minor, Railsback said.

Detectives then identified a second suspect, 46-year-old Merriam Dogillo, who had moved out of California, Railsback said. She was arrested by U.S. Marshals in New York on March 6 and was awaiting extradition proceedings to be transferred to Riverside, where she also faces multiple counts of sex abuse of a minor.

"Through the meticulous work done by our investigators and METRO team, we were able to identify and arrest two individuals for horrific crimes against children," said Riverside police Capt. Chad Milby, who oversees the Investigations Division. "These arrests were the result of extensive collaboration with various units within the police department, victim advocacy organizations and child protective services.

"One of the primary objectives of the Riverside Police Department has always been to ensure the safety and well-being of the children involved and we will continue to offer them every resource available to aid in their healing process."

The Riverside police METRO team assists U.S. Marshals in locating violent suspects who flee to other jurisdictions, Railsback said.

Anyone with information related to the investigation was asked to call Det. Vanessa Castillo at 951-353-7609 or VCCastillo@RiversideCA.gov.

— City News Service